Untitled
It’s too difficult to determine a title for this post. It is rojak all over. It is a blend of a lot of feelings, thoughts as well as a lament on how summer just flew past without me realizing (and the good times too). It is about basking under the sunny skies a few days ago shooting photographs like a sua-ku with my Taiwan friends and having to stay at home today because of the torrential non-stop downpour.
The past week has been like re-living my carefree childhood days for me. Weaving through the history of Penang and sampling every fabric of the golden days when the streets of Penang is roaming with Babas and Nyonyas, the Malays, Indians, Chinese and Caucasians. Flooding ourselves with the different Penang delicacies and spending more time looking for a parking space than visiting places is more than enough for us to contract Penangnitis - a disease majorly contracted by Penangnites from all over the world, of which the patients have a tendency to reminiscent tasty Penang food and dreaming about picturesque images of old Georgetown while lamenting no place matches better than Penang itself. I am drawn closer to Penang while my friends to Malaysia.
It was more than a pleasure playing host to one of the first friends I knew in university, and his sister too. I trust this friendship to be genuine and long-lasting, though experience tells me (and him) that our relationship had been like a roller-coaster ride all the time. Nevertheless, if we are to appreciate the differences between ourselves rather than to criticize it (as I’ve learnt from last semester), we’d learn to tolerate others better and gain more for ourselves.
Recapturing the past, my first year in university had both seen sunny and rainy days. The experience of being in a foreign land mingling with students of different backgrounds is totally refreshing and occasionally agonizing. There are nights when I just couldn’t sleep because of the many problems swirling in my head; there are also nights when I’m so busy I slept the next second after I hit the bunk, and I wouldn’t wake up even if World War 3 erupted right beside me. There are moody days, euphoric days, gloomy days, productive days and also unproductive days. The one major difference is that there is no Dad and Mum beside who provided silent comfort and guidance. Hence, as I’ve written in one of my posts previously, the feeling of boarding the aircraft heading home is always so priceless. The countdown to how many days before you can finally step into a jet and the next moment you wake up you’re home, the moment when the aircraft touched down at KLIA (or Penang Int’l Airport), the horrific yet friendly ‘thump! brrrr….’ is just too welcoming for us.
Nevertheless, I slowly get to know I was never alone. There are always people around us feeling the same things, just as what I’ve said to my junior "they look happy, but if you are to really talk to them, you’ll find them as insecure as yourself.’ Even after one year, I still have to occasionally fine-tune myself to suit the different personality climate in Taiwan - I will not draw conclusions. One year in Taiwan, I thank those who hurt me, as I get to learn from climbing up again; I thank those who provided guidance and support all the way, and I sincerely thank those who so willingly listens deep into the night and never try to interfere when I complained (sadly he’s hardly online nowadays).
It’s hard drawing a close for an untitled post. Think I’d just re-emphasis my key-points then.
1. I really enjoyed this week playing host to my Taiwanese friends, and I thank all my local friends for showing up whenever I asked for it.
2. I pray with all my heart for a smooth-sailing semester (and year) ahead. And God bless all the other foreign students in our school, too. Let us have genuine friends and a fit academic mind.
3. We are not as detached from home as we think we are.
